


Too Much Too Fast

by HyperactivePuppy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Because Klance, But its very loosely based, Episode: s08e08 Clear Day, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Keith (Voltron) Has Panic Attacks, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Like Klance, M/M, Panic Attacks, Poor Keith, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sickfic, Throwing up in public, Vomiting, based on real life events, i changed a lot, puke, sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 12:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19992190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperactivePuppy/pseuds/HyperactivePuppy
Summary: Keith didn’t like large busy events. They were overwhelming and he avoided them at all costs. But they had to appear at the Clear Day celebration. He was the Black Paladin now. He could handle it—right?Or—Keith’s anxiety becomes too much at the clear day celebration and that plus lack of sleep leave him panicked, sick, and half-conscious on the floor. Luckily Lance is the best boyfriend and looks after him.





	Too Much Too Fast

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoy this fic! It is actually based on a true story that happened to me a couple months ago. I was at a con and well…this happened XD. My girlfriend was so amazing and caring though the whole time. It seriously felt like living a sickfic. Which in itself is horrible. Yeah. The whole thing was HORRIBLE. But…it was a good bonding moment ;). And since I was actually cosplaying as Keith at the time, I decided I would torture him in the fic ;).

Shiro told them to have fun at the Clear Day celebration, but Keith was having a hard time just functioning. He didn't like large gatherings at all and this definitely counted as a large gathering. There were people and aliens everywhere, laughing loudly and shoving into each other in their eagerness to try some new ride or play one of the stupid games. The whole thing made Keith want to hide in a corner and never come out again. But he was the leader of Voltron, so he had to stay.

Already some of the aliens had laughed at him for being ‘annoying’ and bothering them. That hurt more than he cared to admit. He was just trying to keep them safe! Seriously, why was he even here in the first place? It wasn’t like anyone actually wanted him there.

Keith wandered the grounds for a while, eyes trained on his boots. He didn’t want to see the aliens staring at him anymore. 

Three hours in, the loud music and crowds were really starting to get to him. Hunk had made him eat something, claiming he needed to try the delicious food. Then they’d been dragged onto the horrible Clear Day ride. Keith had nearly had a panic attack stuck in that thing and even now that he was out, he was shaking a bit.

After a while, Hunk left him to go find Pidge, and Keith was left alone again. He didn’t mind really. He just wanted to get away from there. The loud noise was making him dizzy and he felt weird and detached. He was so lost in his head, he didn't notice Lance walking in front of him and crashed straight into him.

“Keith? Oh god, I’m sorry!” Lance stumbled back a few paces from the force, eyes blown wide in surprise. 

“No, I’m sorry,” Keith responded quietly. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Lance tilted his head to the side, a frown creasing his lips. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Keith said and turned away. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes,” Keith ground out. “Now lay off.”

Lance lifted his hands in the air. “Okay, okay. I’m just worried, man. You’re looking really...weird.”

“Well I said I’m fine, so drop it.” Keith turned and walked off away from Lance. He didn’t have a clear idea of where he was going. The main goal was just to get away from Lance. He felt close to panic and he couldn’t let the other paladin see him lose his composure.

Keith speed walked through the crowd, head down and arms crossed across his chest. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t actually feel that well. The anxiety from the stupid ride hadn’t gone down. Instead it had continued to build, bringing with it a slight dizziness that was steadily growing. 

Someone stepped in front of him and he stumbled, catching himself on one of the game stands. Blackness smudged his vision, causing his stomach to roll at the sudden dizziness. He slammed his eyes closed, taking a slow deep breath, but the air caught in his throat and he coughed it out. 

Then a hand landed on his back and Keith winced, whirling around. 

“Whoa, Keith! Calm down, buddy. It’s just me.” 

Lance looked back at him with wide eyes, blinking in concern.

Keith swallowed. He needed to get out of there. His equilibrium was all off and he wasn't sure if he was going to pass out or throw up, but either way he did not want Lance there.

“Leave me alone. I said I’m fine,” he snapped, shoving his hands into his pockets so Lance wouldn’t see how much they were shaking.

“Yeah… You sure look fine,” Lance said sarcastically. “Come on. Pidge and Hunk found this cool game and they need two more players. It might help you to...you know...do something fun for a change.”

Keith scowled at the comment, but really, he was trying to cover up his fear. He couldn't go with Lance. But if he said no, he would have to explain why…

Despite every instinct screaming at him not to go, Keith followed Lance through the crowd. It couldn't be that bad, right?

They made it to the arcade area without incident, finding Hunk and Pidge excitedly waiting for them to join their game. Turned out it was a shooting game. That explained why Lance had been so excited to play it, although, Lance seemed to love every single arcade style game under the sun, so Keith couldn’t really put that down as the sole contributing factor.

After a while of playing, Keith started to feel weird again. His limbs seemed sluggish and slow and his chest was tight with anxiety. He glanced around, checking to make sure no one was watching them from the shadows. But there was nothing. Just laughing tourists who had eaten way too much sugar. Keith swallowed. The hand holding his little shooter gun was starting to shake, making it impossible for him to aim.

Gulping down sudden nausea, he turned, setting the gun carefully down on the ground. The motion sent his head spinning and he swallowed again. Cold sweat crept down his prickling neck, making him feel weird and shaky. He didn't like this at all. It was weird and scary and he felt like he might pass out. Sit down. He needed to sit down. Then he would be okay, right? That’s what Shiro always had him do when he felt faint. It had happened before, whenever Keith’s anxiety got to be too much and he started panicking. But now Shiro wasn’t there. And he was in the middle of an alien festival surrounded by people. He started to panic more, heart racing against his ribs. 

Reaching out, he grabbed Lance’s sleeve, fisting it up in shaking fingers. “Lance?” he whispered, voice quiet but insistent.

“Yeah, Keith? What is i— Whoa, are you okay?”

Keith shook his head. “I think...Can we sit down?” He looked at Lance with pleading eyes, 

“Yeah, yeah of course.” He turned to Hunk and Pidge, waving a hand to get their attention. “Keith and I are just going to take a break for a bit. We’ll be back!”

He turned and steered Keith away, leading him around the corner so they were out of sight of the others. As soon as they reached the wall, Keith sunk down, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Lance went down with him, tucking his legs up and turning so he faced Keith. “Hey, you okay? What’s going on?”

Keith shook his head, shuddering. “I don’ know. Just don’t feel good,” he mumbled. He pressed his forehead into his knees, squeezing his eyes closed. 

Lance sighed, reaching out and laying a hand on Keith’s quivering back. “It’s okay. Just take a few deep breaths. We can sit here as long as you want.” He paused, frowning. “Are the crowds bothering you?”

Keith shrugged, taking a shaky breath. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “And...I don't know. I just feel…’m really dizzy.” He shuddered, swallowing hard. He thought once he sat down he would be okay, but he was feeling worse now. His stomach was in knots, twisting and churning out of control. That just made his panic worse as the prospect of throwing up loomed in his mind. 

Dizzying waves of light headedness swept over him, stripping away all sense of equilibrium. Maybe laying down would help. He felt like he was going to pass out and at least then he would already be on the floor. Or maybe he could prevent the whole thing from happening. “Lance?” he whispered shakily. “Can I lay down?”

“Yeah, yeah of course… That’s okay,” Lance said immediately, but Keith could tell he was worried.

He was too dizzy to care though, so he let himself slide to the floor until he was lying awkwardly with his legs all twisted up and his face to the cold floor. It felt good against his cheek, but he still felt so nauseous. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to fight the feeling of weightlessness that swamped him. He couldn't pass out. He was fine. He just needed to calm down. 

Lance’s hand suddenly found his and he started rubbing circles into the base of his thumb. The touch was warm and comforting and Keith leaned into it, gripping his hand tightly. “‘M sorry,” he whispered. “Just need a minute. ‘M okay.”

He lay there for some indeterminate amount of time, fighting desperately against the nausea and dizziness as consciousness played in and out of focus.

At some point he became aware of voices. They were worried, scared. And way too loud. Keith flinched, curling closer to Lance.

“Is he okay?” someone asked. 

“I um...yeah...I think so.” Lance’s voice was shaky. “He’s just feeling really dizzy.”

Keith’s heart sunk. Lance sounded scared. He wanted to tell him it was okay, but he couldn't get his mouth to work. 

Then Lance’s hand was on his hair, pulling it back from his eyes. “Keith, you doing okay? You still with me?”

“Mm,” Keith hummed. That was all he could manage right now. He swallowed, shivering as cold sweat rolled down his neck. “‘M okay. Jus’ feel really sick.”

Another voice was there, speaking to Lance. He couldn’t hear what they said, but he heard Lance’s response. “Yeah, please get someone.”

Keith shuddered. There were too many people. Too many voices. He wanted them to leave. He wanted to get out of there. “Lance,” he gulped out, reaching for his hand.

“Shh, it’s okay, Keith. You’re okay. Just breathe. Someone’s coming, okay?”

“No,” Keith choked out. Suddenly he was aware that people were crowding them in, watching, staring, whispering. “N-no. I’m okay. I’m fine. I just. Just need a minute.”

Tears rose unbidden, blurring his vision and squeezing past his half-closed eyelids. They rolled down his face, running into his mouth. Nausea coiled in his stomach, bubbling up and out of control.

Then someone else was there, stepping towards him, leaning down. Keith whimpered, grabbing Lance’s hand and squeezing down with all his strength. He curled up, trying to get away from the other person. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to touch you. I’m here to help.”

Keith flinched, his whole body shuddering with a sob. 

“My name is Amy and I’m a nurse. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”

“Sick,” Keith mumbled, pressing further up against Lance.

“What kind of sick?” the woman asked gently. 

Keith shuddered again. Why wouldn't they just leave him alone? Couldn't they see he didn't want anyone there? “S-stomach sick,” he finally said, voice so quiet only Lance could hear.

When the nurse questioned him again, Lance replied for him, repeating what he had said. Keith was eternally grateful. He didn't think he could talk anymore without getting sick.

“Do you feel like you’re going to throw up, Keith?” Lance asked, brushing back some of his sweaty hair. 

Keith nodded, more tears welling up. His face was still pressed against the ground, but the nausea had grown so intense he could hardly breathe. He rolled over slightly, raising himself on shaky hands as a sudden heave rolled through his body. He shuddered, lurching forwards. Nothing came up, but his mouth was suddenly drowning in saliva. He spit it out, too sick to care that he was making a mess. He just needed it out of his mouth.

Shuddering, he leaned forward, gloved hands balled into fists against the floor. Lance’s hand was on his back, rubbing up and down. “It’s okay, Keith. You can throw up. Don’t fight it.”

No, it was not okay! None of this was okay. Keith was crying harder now, unable to keep the tears at bay. He slid back down, not caring that he was laying in the little puddle of saliva. He was suddenly so cold. Shudders ran through his body, sending his teeth chattering. He reached out for Lance, trying desperately to calm down, but his whole body was shaking uncontrollably and there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

“Are you cold?” Lance asked, voice gentle and soft. 

He shrugged. He didn't know anymore. He just felt horrible. Then something warm and soft was covering him. Lance’s scent enveloped him and he sighed, cuddling into the jacket. 

More people were crowding in now, voicing their concerns much too loudly.

“Is he okay? Is he having a seizure? Should we call someone?”

Keith felt panic rise out of control, gripping his chest and sending his breathing out of control. He was fine. He was fine. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Then the nurse—Amy, he was pretty sure her name was—was standing up, speaking loud and clear to all the bystanders. “Step back, please. Give him some space. We’ve got medical on the way so there is no need to worry.”

In that moment, Keith was more grateful for a stranger than he had ever been in his life. He liked Amy. She understood. 

“He has a lot of anxiety,” Lance was saying. 

Keith frowned. Was that what this was? Anxiety? Maybe...that would make sense.

“I figured,” Amy replied. “It’s okay, though. Nothing to be ashamed of.” She turned, calling to one of the people who was still hanging around. “Can you go get some water or something?” 

She turned back to Keith then, kneeling down on the ground again. “How are you doing? Do you want to try drinking something?”

Keith shrugged. He still felt really dizzy and lightheaded and even though the nausea had settled somewhat, it was still bubbling just under the surface. “Kay,” he finally said, just to make her happy. He would try the water. 

When the man returned, holding out a plastic cup of water, Keith struggled up into a half sitting position. Even that made him incredibly dizzy, but he managed to take two small sips of water before sliding back to the ground again. 

Lance’s hand found his hair again, gentle fingers running through the dark strands. Keith leaned into the touch. The water wasn’t settling well. He wanted to tell Lance that, but he couldn’t find the words. All he could think about where the heavy voices, loud and supressing. It was all too much. 

He curled up, body shuddering with a choked sob. 

“Hey, hey, Keith. It’s okay, you’re okay.” Lance tucked his jacket around him, running his hand in gentle circles across Keith’s quivering back.

Keith violently shook his head, tears catching on his eyelashes. His chest felt tight and sore, like someone had handcuffed his heart to his ribcage. The nurse was talking to Lance again, or was it him? 

“—nything today?” Keith only caught the last bit of her sentence. He frowned, forming his lips into a question that never actually made it into words.

“Have you eaten anything today?” the nurse repeated. Her voice was gentle and patient, even though she had probably been trying to ask him that for a while.

Keith nodded, cheek brushing against tile. “Yeah.”

“He doesn't eat much when he’s anxious,” Lance supplied, hand still resting on Keith’s shoulder. “But I made sure he ate something earlier.”

“Alright.” The nurse sat back, falling silent again. Keith was glad. He didn’t want to talk anymore. Now he could be alone to fight off the lingering nausea that continued to plague his system.

But the silence didn’t last long. Suddenly a flurry of voices surrounded them. Keith opened his eyes to see tall figures closing in around them. He whimpered, struggling to get away from the newcomers.

“No no no go away please!” he gasped, curling into himself more. One of the figures loomed over him, not heeding his words in the slightest.

“It’s alright, we just need to do some tests to see what’s going on, okay?”

“No!” Keith started sobbing again, whole body shaking in terror.

The woman turned to one of her colleagues, frowning. “He’s shaking a lot. We need to check for drugs and alcohol usage.” She turned to Keith again. “Are you taking any drugs? Have you been drinking?”

Her hand dropped to Keith’s shoulder and he shrieked, flinching back. “No. No no I didn’t. I h-haven’t. P-please no no.” The words were unintelligible, jumbled up and muttered so quickly it was impossible to understand.

“Sir, you need to calm down. We are here to help. Do you think you can walk? It would be better to do the tests in the medical room, but I can do them here if you’d rather.

Keith shook his head, breath hitching on a sob. “No.”

“No what?”

“No!” Keith was shaking so hard his teeth were chattering and clacking together, messing up his words and rendering anything he said incomprehensible. “No no…’m scared. R-really s-scared.”

Lance’s own eyes welled up, tears of fear and frustration rising against his control.

“Stop it,” he snapped. “He’s scared. Please. Just step back. You’re scaring him.” He was openly crying now, practically crouching over Keith to protect him.

The person made no move to step back, but a glare from the nurse had them moving back a pace. “Please, just give him a moment. He’s having a panic attack and pushing him will only make it worse.”

Keith stopped listening then. He curled into Lance, sobbing uncontrollably. “Sh-shiro. I n-need Shiro.”

“I...I don’t know where Shiro is. But we’ll find him. Okay? After. Just breathe, Keith.” 

Lance’s voice was gentle, but Keith could tell he was scared too. 

He lay there crying into Lance’s chest, eyes squeezed shut. Time was meaningless. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes when he finally started to calm down, but to him it felt like hours.

When he finally grew aware again, he realised a wheelchair had been pushed up to him. Or at least, what resembled a wheelchair. It was much larger than the ones on earth and the arms seemed to have jet packs sticking out of the back. 

The next thing he realised was that the medic from earlier was talking to Lance. He swallowed, trying to listen.

“If he can’t walk, we can transport him in this.” She indicated the strange wheelchair thing. 

Lance nodded. He looked down at Keith, smoothing back his hair. “How does that sound, Keith?”

He shrugged. Even sitting up seemed like much too hard a task right now. 

“You need to stand up so we can get you in the chair,” the medic said none too gently.

Keith flinched, curling up tighter. 

“It’s okay, Keith. Just take your time.” Lance’s voice was calm and soothing.

Keith nodded, cheek rubbing against the floor. He was still shaking uncontrollably and the dizziness was back in full force. Why didn’t they understand he couldn’t stand up? He was trying but if he got up now he’d probably throw up and he really didn’t want that to happen. Even as the thought hit him, a sense of doom crawled through his veins. The nausea that had dulled slightly crept back, licking maliciously at the inside of his stomach. 

He curled into himself as hot air rushed up his throat, coming out as a sick burp. Whimpering, he pressed a hand to his mouth. His stomach rolled and he gagged, dry heaving over the floor.

Lance must have noticed because he was speaking urgently to the medic. “Um, do you have like a bucket or a bag or something?” His hand was on Keith’s back again, rubbing smoothly up and down.

“Hey! Can you go get a bucket? Now!” Keith flinched at the medic’s sharp tone. She must be talking to one of the bystanders. Or another medic. He was too sick to care.

Another heave ravaged his stomach, so harsh his back arched with the strain of it. He tried to sit up, at least get into a semi upright position, but all he could manage was to lift his head slightly from the floor. Shaking hands gripped the floor as he struggled to stay upright. Another sick burp worked its way up his throat, bringing with it the horrible taste of what was to come. Keith shuddered, swallowing. Then he was jerking forward, helpless against the flood of brown mush that shot up his throat. 

“Shit!” Lance swore beside him. He reached for Keith’s hair, pulling it back from his face so it wouldn’t get doused in puke. 

“‘M ‘m sorry,” Keith whimpered, voice shaky and panicked. “S-so—” he broke off, heaving up another wave of sick onto the floor.

“He’s throwing up! We need a bucket now!” 

The medic was immediately interrupted by a very angry voice. It was the nurse from earlier. Amy.

“He can’t help it if he’s sick. You yelling is just going to make it worse.”

Keith started sobbing. His hands shook so bad he could hardly hold himself up, but just as he was about to collapse into the puddle of his own sick, Lance caught him. He shifted him to the side, letting Keith lay down on the floor a few feet away from the mess.

“Shh Keith, it’s okay. Just breathe.” Lance ran his hands through Keith’s hair, murmuring gently. “You’re going to be okay.” 

Keith didn’t realise Lance was crying. He didn’t realise much of anything other than the fact he felt incredibly dizzy and sick and the world was slowly fading around him.

**Author's Note:**

> And…hope you enjoyed! I decided to split it into two chapters so it wasn’t so long so the story isn’t done yet ;).
> 
> Also, funny side note, the part where Keith says he needs Shiro actually happened. See, I bought a little Shiba plushy at the con and naturally named him Shiro. So me, in my totally delirious state, panicking and half conscious, was sobbing “I need Shiro!” cosplaying as Keith. XD Luckily my girlfriend understood and gave me Shiro, although I think everyone else was thoroughly confused :P. 
> 
> Anyway, if you want to say hi, come over to my new sickfic/writing tumblr ^.^ https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hyperactivepuppy


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